In a surprising move, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that they had fired second-year head coach Lovie Smith. The announcement:

“After careful consideration, we informed Lovie that we have decided to make a change. I want to thank Lovie for his hard work and dedication to the Buccaneers during his time here. This decision was difficult on a variety of levels. I am disappointed that we were not more successful these past few seasons, but we are committed to doing what is necessary to give our fans the winning team they deserve. As we move forward, General Manager Jason Licht will oversee the process for finding our next head coach.”

At 6-10 the Buccaneers weren’t particularly good this year, but that can hardly be blamed on Smith, who was still cleaning up the mess Greg Schiano left behind. Perhaps most importantly, Smith has helped Jameis Winston to a historic season for a rookie quarterback, and a probable Offensive Rookie of the Year award.